With the digital age forever on the rise, and technology advancing at such a rate, it should come as NO surprise that this article has the title that it does.

Smart phone and mobile technology has completely revolutionised the fast passed world that we already live in. As such it has made a huge and dramatic impact on Social Media.

Today’s phones and tablet devices are capable of taking such high quality images, that we no longer need our digital SLR cameras with us to capture some of life’s precious moments. As expected, with the rise of this technology, came the Social Media platforms to accommodate our desire to upload and want to share high quality images we capture in and around both business and personal lives today.

This post is going to take a little look at both Instagram & Pinterest and share some top tips that will really help you and your business move forwards

Viva La Revolution!

Instagram

A MOBILE specific image sharing social networking site with over 12 million users worldwide and offers the ability to upload photos, making use of the hashtag trending so you can be seen in front of a wider audience than your chosen network by using some carefully thought out keywords.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that so many people use Instagram for personal use, it is a powerful place for business’s to hang out and leverage a marketing campaign to grow their business.

And don’t fret! If you don’t for some reason have access to a mobile device to create an Instagram account, then you can do it via a desktop computer – click here to learn more about how

Pinterest

Pinterest works in a way unlike NO other Social Networking site out there. You can really leverage and use images in a way that text can’t.

The modern day “cork” board which allows you to create and manage boards on pretty much ANY subject you like. You can share boards, create secret boards, group boards, and have the ability yo “pin” just about anything you like – including videos to them.

With a very powerful desktop application and also a really great mobile app – pinterest really is the image content king. Statistics prove that users of Pinterest are indeed shoppers, with the highest conversion rate of any social networking site – People which use the site often “want” to buy – so it is any wonder that as a business you can create a marketing plan using this site to really help grow your sales.

Most of you will know how much of an Advocate I am of Gary Vaynerchuk, and he has a really great ability to read or predict the online social marketing world’s future. Images, and notably both of these sites mentioned in this post (along with another site focusing on video, called VINE) were predictions of his – and when a market leader such as him tells you to pay attention, you kinda feel you you should (well I know I do) So I did – and hey presto! he was right.

None of this is “new age” Social Media, like I’ve been hearing things be thrown about, but it’s just a new, faster, sleeker, better looking way of sharing content socially. And if you can make a success of marketing your business without writing tons of words and can deliver the message (the message often being – leaving YOUR name in someone’s mind in relation to whatever niche, industry or product you sell) swiftly and eye catchingly – then you should.

For Pinterest and Instagram, they will evolve (Instagram already has – with micro videos now being uploaded) But I think visually images have and will remain powerful, and with places like Facebook making hard work of being seen, it makes more than enough sense to start utilising the image specific channels and really ramp up your business’ marketing efforts.

About MissTrebes

Clair Trebes started Clair Trebes Online as a way to teach people about social media and help them build their business online.
Aside from this, Clair also runs a successful Social Media agency for DJ's, Producers & Record Labels called Cross The Line and is also resident "Queen Bee" over at Bizzebee - which is an online community where people can learn to bring their business' online with their online learning facility The Hive You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.